Cyprus ready to assist with flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza, president says

The European Union has “an opportunity” to achieve the unimpeded flow of urgent humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, President Nikos Christodoulides said on Thursday.

To this end, he added, Cyprus also stands ready to leverage its “particular ties” with Israel.

“There is an opportunity for the EU to ensure the provision of unimpeded humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians in Gaza, highlighting the role the bloc can play in the region and sending a strong message to the Arab world in terms of the EU’s interest in regional developments,” the president said.

He was speaking in Brussels on the sidelines of the European Council meeting.

The situation in the Middle East broadly was discussed during a working lunch of the EU-27 leaders.

Regarding aid to besieged Gaza, Christodoulides said that he “anticipates developments” in the near future. He did not elaborate.

Asked by media whether EU member states are “divided” on the issue of Gaza, the president said all states realise that what is happening there is a “humanitarian tragedy”.

A discussion about aid to Gaza took place, with various approaches heard.

In its conclusions on the Middle East, the European Council noted the “catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza” and called for an immediate ceasefire and the unconditional release of all hostages, leading to a permanent end to hostilities.

The Council said it “deplores the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, the unacceptable number of civilian casualties and the levels of starvation”.

It called on Israel to “fully lift its blockade on Gaza, to allow immediate, unimpeded access and sustained distribution of humanitarian assistance at scale into and throughout Gaza and to enable the UN and its agencies, and humanitarian organisations, to work independently and impartially to save lives and reduce suffering”.